steve haley

Hmm reading the books it looks like they simply extend out the swivelling connector and put the two on that. Did you request that style of electrics?

Think they fitted the wrong kit ie not lexus. Think they should have fitted the 13 pin kit and given you a 13 to two 12 adapter. See lexus-tech.eu for all the fitting instructions. Still amazed that anyone uses a lexus dealer to do this. The oem bar that lexus use is the westfalia @ £280 normally and the guanine lexus STD electrics kit is 110 with the extension to 13pin at another 75. So you paid them 600 for 2-3 hrs work and I bet they didn't take the power lead back to the fuse box. it really is a DIY job of you are brave enough. One tip is to expose the fuses through the passenger side access panel in the boot normally they are inaccessible.

Has anyone tried the Michelin latitude cross tyre. Looking for something that will give grip on limited off road ie wet grass and light mud. http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/michelin-latitude-cross#tab-tyres-sizes Can't say I am impressed by the standard tyres for even normal road use.

The grom is the best of the basic controllers . If you want better integration with the touch screen you could look at the dice unit. There is also another range by vaistech. Personally would go with the dice as it has the best balance if you want full remote control. Several uk dealers stock it and m do a sale or return. Do make sure the model you buy supports and charges the iPods you want to use. Fitment is relatively easy once you realise there are two hidden bolts. Ther is a pictorial guide either here or on the us forum on how to do it. If you use some double sided tape on the socket it reduces your chances of losing the bolts. Takes maybe an hour first time 20 mins second time.

The selector switch for the mirrors must be set towards the left or right mirror for the mirror to dip. Can't remember if both dip or just the selected one

The quote they gave me was way over what i could get fom others. Now back with admiral after a spell with Avva. I spend long periods on the continent so my insurance needs are a bit odd as i need a cpmpany that will allow me 6-8wks continuous. Car insurance is now a minefield and you have to check and double check everything. Many no longer insure abroad. Nearly lost part of my ncb with aviva - transferred 7yrs in and 2 yrs later they would only give me a note for 5yrs. This made a big diff with some companies especially admiral where the missing 4 years was worth 150pa. Follow the insurance guide at moneysavingexpert and dont forget there are big cashbacks available from many companies. Aviva are currently giving 80£ You almost need to move every year as they always give lower quotes for new customers than renewals. Admiral/elephant have always given me very good quotes but each insurance company's risk model is different and others may be better for you.

4yrs 40k and only probs have been that it eats brke pads and a few squeeks that were quickly fixed. Prpbably been the most reliable car i have owned , so far.

Sounds iffy to me. I would ring lexus uk. At very least they should stamp it but mark it. As an essential service.

Wear will depend on temperature and vreds are not great for wear but having said that I would guess i have put 10-15k on mine and i still have a lot of tread left (arround 7+mm). The changeover temp for winter tyres that i have been told is nearer 12deg. I tend to put mine on at begin of nov and remove at easter. They are definately noisier than my bridgestones (not by much but it is audible) and tend to be wander slightly more. I also get the impression that the fuel consumption goes up marginlly by 5% but that may simply be a temperature thing and/or faster speeds on continental mways. I would be wary of using the same rims for summer and winter tyres as in my experience they can get damaged by errant tyre fitters swapping them over twice a year.

Where did you buy it from a lexus dealer, independant or private?

I have Vredestein Wintrac on a 350 and they have been superb. 3rd season and they have been coping with the horrendous snow we have been having in the alps very well. Driveway is steep and has frequently had over 5in on it. Would have preferred continentals but couldnt find them in my size. Best to put them on exactly the same wheels as on the car as some insurance companys can be a bit funny about alloy upgrades even if you think they are downgrades.

thanks

Then I suspect there may be a problem unless this is a diff between your model and mine. MY 350 definitely goes out when I open the drivers door. If you have the lights on full as opposed to auto do you get a warning buzzer when you open the door?. This may be a dealer set option there are a whole bunch of parameters that can be set only be the dealer. These are the US options - havent been able to find a uk equiv http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&biw=1920&bih=919&q=lexus+%22BODY+ELECTRICAL+%E2%80%94+MULTIPLEX+COMMUNICATION%22 you want the club russia pdf = wont let me link ".ru" here

Then I suspect there may be a problem unless this is a diff between your model and mine. MY 350 definitely goes out when I open the drivers door. If you have the lights on full as opposed to auto do you get a warning buzzer when you open the door?. This may be a dealer set option there are a whole bunch of parameters that can be set only be the dealer. These are the US options - havent been able to find a uk equiv st.club-lexus(blocked word)/files/cbest_116.pdf

I am curious because your experience is totally different from my experience with Lexus and Woodford in particular. 1) Did you buy this car from a Lexus dealer if so they normally come with a 12mth warranty. (http://usedcars.lexus.co.uk/approved-preowned-benefits.aspx) 2) Regardless of this if you bought it from a trader as opposed to private then the goods must be of serviceable quality and you should be able to show that the suspension was bad in the beginning especially if you had mentioned it specifically to the dealer. The dealer should also be able to provide the dates of the warnings and if they pre-date the sale then I don't see that they have a leg to stand on. 3) If I have a warranty then personally I make every effort to get all niggles cleared before it ends. Mine went into woodford at 3yrs for its last service before expiration with a typed sheet of 15 points all of which were resolved. 4) If my brothers and fathers experience with MB are anything to go by I am thankful that I have a Lexus. My brothers experience with a 6yr old e class estate has been frightening in the number of faults he has had all of which appear to be common to the model. He has been off the road for over 6mths awaiting spares in the last year. 5) If you dont like your nearest dealer why not try the next nearest. Most dealers overlap for collection/delivery. Woodford isn't my nearest but so far they have been impeccable so I have stayed with them and given enough notice they will always collect/deliver FOC. 6) Is this a SEL ie air suspension if not then £1700 appears to be rather a large amount given that http://www.lexus.co.uk/owners/lexuscare/service-your-lexus/fixed-price-promise.aspx appears to suggest that it is only £700 to replace front and rear shocks. If it is a SEL then I would get a 2nd opinion as the forum is rife with stories of dealers who have misdiagnosed problems with air suspension. It would really help if you stated what they had diagnosed. 7) Am really surprised that you have been charged £400 to diagnose a problem - have never been charged in my life by a main dealer of any marque to diagnose a fault let alone over 3hrs worth of labour.

Out of curiosity why do you need another socket. If this is for gadget charging there are good 2 in one USB chargers available on Ebay which are almost flush fitting. If you are charging smart phones eg HTC then best to use OEM cables as some of the ones on ebay are too thin to carry the current. It is a real pain to lift the plastic Tray as you need to remove the centre console. Tried this once and gave up.

Annoyingly these have started squealing and grinding while I am in the alps 700 miles from home and the local garage wants £250 to change them (180 labour). I doubt they will last another two weeks on the local mountain roads and the 700ml trip home before they start to damage the disc. Given that the discs are only £55 from lexus switzerland I thought I might do it myself. It looks like an easy job on the RX350 compared to some cars I have dealt with ie take the wheel off undo the lower bolt and swivel the callipers up. Has anyone actually done them? and if so any tips? I shall be having words with my lexus dealer as to why these were not changed out last service (5 mths ago). 35k out of a set of rear pads is a bit disappointing but in line with the fact it is on its 3rd set of front pads. Suspect it may be due to the annual swiss trip and the towing of a heavy trailer to germany once a year that does it. rgds Stephen PS for anyone who wants to know what the RX is like on snow (with winter tyres) see pics below. Have only heard the traction buzzer once when I had the ECT engaged. This turned out to be a bad idea as it appears to lock or at least tighten the rear diff which makes it bad news going around swiss 180 degree tight bends on full lock. I thought it simply softened the gearbox change like most. Never bothered with it before and certainly wont again. Still havent needed snow chains! The road up is 1:10 for 10k with 5 full hairpins. The one in the pic is the gentle one! the others are full lock jobs. This has been the general state of the road for the last 2 wks. Driveway:- The road up after it has been salted - is far more interesting before it has been cleared/salted especially going down hill !!

I think it works exactly right I personally want the lights to stay on until I get out. In fact some times would be nice for them to stay on for a few mins longer. My problem is that due to my strange garage layout/size I actually get out the passenger door so they dont turn off then:)

Just noticed that lexus have appear to have introduced lower cost service plans and fixed price jobs for cars over 5yrs. The servicing may not be as thourgh as normal by the look of it but the fixed price jobs look reasonable given the parts costs. Ie normal price for discs and pads is £400-500 and parts alone are circa £220 so £280 would appear semi reasonable. Servicing ESSENTIAL CARE SERVICE TYPE MODEL MINOR MAJOR IS £129 £259 GS £129 £279 RX £129 £279 LS £129 £299 SC £129 £299 Mot £49 Note they also do 0% apr fixed monthley payment plans inc MOT which give the option of getting Lexus Road side assistance for £99 for 24mths http://www.lexus.co.uk/owners/lexuscare/service-your-lexus/essential-care-service-plans.aspx Fixed Price jobs eg pads shocks etc The table below shows the price of some typical wear and tear components at your Lexus Centre. ITEM RX 300 >05/03 Front Brake Pads £125 Front Brake Pads & Discs £280 Rear Brake Pads £99 Rear Brake Pads & Discs £220 Battery £90 Water Pump £350 Wiper Blades £50 Wiper Refills £35 Front Shock Absorbers £399 Rear Shock Absorbers £299 http://www.lexus.co.uk/owners/lexuscare/service-your-lexus/fixed-price-promise.aspx

Tried to change mine from 5 mph and couldn't on a 08 rx350

In the boot beside the jack on the right is a raised bit on the inwards facing side is a plastic cover - behind that is the satnav player. Ignition needs to be on to eject the discs. new discs from http://www.lexus-mapupdates.eu/ at horrible prices:)

Any one know how much an E11 2008/9 set of nav discs are worth? This is the first edition that unlocked the maps. If I can get enough I might upgrade again this year. rgds Stephen

Genuine ones have come down in price Saw sme genuine ones on eBay in last few weeks from A seller i would trust for sub 150 Discs are about a 100 and pads now appear to be 50 Would be about 1 hrs work for a pro so would have thought it should only be 250 Regards Stephen

Lexus service costs are plain odd The list price can differ by 30pc between dealers. I went uround the London dealers looking at service costs for the next 3 services for my 350 and they varied wildly What didnt vary as much was the service plans which was around 1200 for the next 3 services 40,50 and 60k including the three mots. Which from memory equated to a discount of around 40pc. Given I have taken out the extended warranty I need the lexis service and it makes for fewer argument s later if anything goes wrong. The normal services aren't too bad but the 60k is a plug change which I believe is not an easy job and involves partial dismemberment of the engine!!!! http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=31597 Had too many iffy times with so called specialists and bluntly an average of 350 per service ex mot is good value to me especially as it will be more resalable with a main dealer service history.

A friend has a 400h and now keeps one of the marlin jump start boxes in the boot There are a new range of lifepo4 batteries which while lithium can be charged using lead acid charging. These a much smaller than lead acids so maybe one or more of these may fit in the same space. Ot cheap but... http://www.tracerpower.com/golf-batteries/golf-36-lifepo4.html Other thing lifepo4 has a pretty flat discharge rate so you will"get" much more from than from an equiv lead acid